Shaunna O'Connell continues push for EBT benefits card reform

In the wake of the release of a state auditor’s report detailing the extent of abuse of the welfare system, state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell, R-Taunton, continues to push for more reforms to curb fraud within the state’s public assistance programs.

In the wake of the release of a state auditor’s report detailing the extent of abuse of the welfare system, state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell, R-Taunton, continues to push for more reforms to curb fraud within the state’s public assistance programs.

O’Connell, who has railed against fraudulent use of state-issued electronic bebefit transfer cards since taking office in 2010, is now promoting nine reforms that she hopes will be passed by the state legislature. O’Connell said that the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance, which oversees the state’s welfare programs, is “broken” and that safeguards are needed to prevent recipients from using benefits improperly.

“For three years, I have been saying that the Department of Transitional Assistance and the EBT card are broken,” O’Connell said. “This report proves all the points I have been making. It is time to end the excuses and pass tough reforms that will end the abuse, restore integrity to the program and protect taxpayer funds.”

The audit done by the office of State Auditor Suzanne Bump found that 1,160 listed recipients of welfare benefits in Massachusetts were actually dead, costing approximately $2.4 million between July 2010 and April 2010. In addition to that, $15.6 million was identified as part of suspicious transactions from EBT cards between 2010 and 2012, including state cards that were used in Hawaii and Alaska.

Among the legislative reforms being promoted by O’Connell are a requirement for Social Security numbers to collect benefits, the end of the so-called “self-declaration honor system,” a new 27-point verification check on all welfare applications, a requirement that DTA re-verify each recipient on a yearly basis, and a new requirement for pictures on all state-issued EBT cards by January 2014.

O’Connell said legislatures need to craft laws that would stop access to cash by requiring recipients to pay their utilities and rent online.

O’Connell also suggested that the state move all fraud investigation and enforcement responsibility out of DTA and into the Inspector General’s office. The Taunton Republican said the state should set up a special welfare fraud hotline for law enforcement, and that a new rule should suspend EBT benefits for anyone who loses their card more than three times in a year.

“Yesterday’s report shows that our welfare system is riddled with fraud,” O’Connell said. “When 9,800 recipients have had their cards replaced 10 or more times it should have been a red flag for DTA. Just within the last year 360,000 cards have been replaced. That’s 1000 per day. …We need these reforms today.”

O’Connell also criticized Gov. Deval Patrick for failing to implement previous reforms, which she worked on, that were passed by the House and the Senate on Beacon Hill.

“Unfortunately, Governor Patrick has refused to implement them which has resulted in more fraud occurring,” she said.